Day: July 28, 2026

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Dr. Musadik chairs audit NITB directives meeting


Islamabad: Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr. Musadik Malik, chaired the first meeting of the Committee constituted on the directives of the Prime Minister to audit and review the implementation of directives issued to the National Information Technology Board (NITB).



Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Secretary Establishment Division, and Chief Executive Officer of NITB also attended the meeting.



During the meeting, the Committee briefed the minister on the functioning and operations of NITB, as well as the 27 directives issued to improve its working, strengthen institutional efficiency, and streamline operationalisation.



The Committee reviewed the progress and implementation status of the directives and discussed measures to further improve the functioning and effectiveness of NITB.



The Committee will reconvene in the coming days to continue its review and deliberate further on the implementation of the directives.



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Efforts afoot to ensure quality animal healthcare services


Tank: The district administration is taking effective steps to provide quality veterinary services to livestock farmers, across the district.



In this regard, Additional Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Irfan Khan visited the civil veterinary hospital in Ranwal to review facilities and service in the facility.



According to the administration, he examined staff attendance, medicine records, cleanliness, the hospital building, the Outpatient Department (OPD), and other facilities. The inspection found staff attendance, sanitation standards, and OPD performance to be satisfactory.



Muhammad Irfan Khan directed the hospital staff to maintain high standards of cleanliness, ensure timely examination and treatment of livestock, and provide quality veterinary services to farmers without negligence.



Speaking on the occasion, he said the administration was committed to ensuring the uninterrupted availability of basic veterinary healthcare services for livestock owners in Ranwal and surrounding areas.



In this regard, he added that improved animal health services remained a key priority under the provincial government’s public service agenda.



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Finance minister chairs ECC, approves major export promotion measures for industry alongside sectoral policy decisions


Islamabad: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Monday approved three dedicated Export Finance Subsidy Schemes for export enhancement.



The ECC met under the chairmanship of the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, said a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance.



The ECC considered a summary submitted by the Finance Division and approved three dedicated Export Finance Subsidy Schemes for export enhancement.



These include enhancement in the EXIM-administered Export Finance Scheme (E-EFS), launch of a new Long Term Export Growth Financing Facility (LTEGFF), and a performance-based Rebate on Incremental Exports.



The export package provides fixed low-rate financing, strengthens support for the export and import sectors, and places special emphasis on the inclusion of the SME sector.



While approving the proposals, the committee further directed that a six-month performance report be presented to assess the outcome of the schemes.



The committee also considered a summary submitted by the Power Division and approved a Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG) of Rs. 4 billion to meet the expenses relating to multiple international arbitration proceedings initiated by independent power plant (IPP) developers and major utility shareholders.



The ECC further approved another summary submitted by the Power Division on the proposal for adjustment of pensioners of closed Generation Companies (GENCOs) to their respective pension-disbursing Distribution Companies (DISCOs) for payments of their retirement’s benefits.



The ECC further approved a summary submitted by the Petroleum Division regarding the declaration of the Pab reservoir in Rehman-8 ST-3 well as a Tight Gas Reservoir under the Tight Gas (Exploration and Production) Policy, 2011.



The ECC considered and approved a summary submitted by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development reflecting the budget estimates of the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) for FY 2025-26 and the revised budget estimates for FY 2024-25.



The committee also approved a summary submitted by the Petroleum Division with proposal for the tariff fixation for indigenous gas supplies made to RLNG-based power plants on the SNGPL network during April, May and June 2026.



The meeting was attended by Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal (virtually), Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Minister for Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh (virtually), Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan, along with federal secretaries and senior officials from the relevant ministries, divisions, and regulatory authorities.



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Officials inspect flood-hit areas as heavy rains damage crops


Nowshera virkan: The local administration officials inspected flood-affected areas here after heavy monsoon rains inundated farmland and disrupted rural communities, the authorities said on Monday.



Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Sameera Ambreen and Assistant Commissioner (AC), Nowshera Virkan, Saadia Jamal visited several areas in Tetlay Aali and Nowshera Virkan to review the ongoing desilting of the Seem Drain, where heavy machinery is being used to improve water flow.



They instructed sanitation staff to accelerate the work, maintain quality standards and ensure roads were cleaned after the operation was completed.



Meanwhile, torrential rains caused widespread damage across several villages, including Gobind Pura, Qila Diwan Singh, Nokhar, Fatehiki, Zafarabad, Babbar, Mari Khurd, Mari Bhandran, Seech Suprayan and Shamsa Dhadda.



Large tracts of agricultural land remained submerged, with hundreds of fields of newly planted rice and fodder crops damaged by floodwaters, according to local officials and residents. The government teams continued to visit affected areas to assess the losses.



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PSX rebounds strongly, surges over 7, 241 points on broad-based buying


Islamabad: The benchmark KSE-100 Index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) staged a strong recovery on Monday, rebounding by 7, 241. 13 points, a positive change of 4. 23 percent, to close at 178, 262. 34 points against 171, 021. 20 points recorded in the previous trading session, amid broad-based buying across key sectors.



The ready market recorded a trading volume of 1. 032 billion shares with a traded value of Rs41. 020 billion, compared to 579. 945 million shares worth Rs23. 896 billion traded in the previous session. Market capitalization also increased to Rs20. 021 trillion from Rs19. 278 trillion a day earlier.



Out of 496 companies traded in the ready market, 409 registered gains, 63 posted losses, while 24 remained unchanged, reflecting widespread positive sentiment among investors.



WorldCall Telecom topped the volume chart with 135. 860 million shares, followed by Trust Brokerage with 92. 630 million shares, and Cnergyico PK with 81. 338 million shares. Among the top gainers, PIA Holding Company LimitedB surged by Rs570. 00 to close at Rs18, 238. 00, while Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited advanced by Rs289. 00 to settle at Rs25, 300. 00.



On the losing side, The Thal Industries Corporation Limited declined by Rs69. 83 to close at Rs1, 017. 82, while The Premier Sugar Mills fell by Rs46. 94 to Rs505. 79. In the futures (DFC) market, turnover rose to 512. 403 million shares with a traded value of Rs16. 630 billion, compared with 191. 880 million shares worth Rs7. 511 billion in the previous session. Out of 304 companies in the futures market, 301 advanced, two declined and one remained unchanged.



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Ensure laws to achieve tobacco free Pakistan: Civil society


Sukkur: Nari Foundation Sukkur head Anwar Ali Mahar and Afshan Asghar have said that medical centers should be established to help smokers quit smoking, provide them with services and facilities, and demanded that parents play their role in this regard to make a smoke free Pakistan possible.



They expressed these views in a meeting organized for tobacco eradication in collaboration with the Alternative Research Initiative (ARI).



Anwar Mahar said that smoking is not just a health issue but a problem that affects our society, economy and future generations. He said that 31 million people in Pakistan use tobacco in various forms.



Medical centers should be established to help them get rid of this habit and every individual in society, including parents, should play their role.



Advocate Shafiq Koso said that laws have been made to prevent smoking but there is a lack of implementation. However, despite this, complete eradication of smoking from Pakistan is possible. He said that if the government provides medical assistance to smokers and awareness about the use of less harmful alternative products, smoking can be controlled.



Educationist and social activist Haider Ali Koso and Amjad Mahar said that diseases and deaths caused by tobacco smoking cause a loss of Rs. 615 billion to the country in a year.



They said that to achieve a tobacco free Pakistan, we need to learn from successful international examples like Sweden to control the harms of smoking in society. They said that the government should formulate rules and regulations for the use of less harmful alternative products to help smokers quit smoking and to keep non-smokers, including children, away from the use of these products.



Abdul Wahid Mahar of Nari Foundation Sukkur said that the government should ensure implementation of relevant laws to quit tobacco so that the availability of cigarettes and access to them in society is not possible for people. He said that parents should play their role in protecting their children from smoking.